Apparatus for intermittently advancing and cutting lengths of wire and the like



R. w; SWANBUM 2, APPARATUS FOR INTERMITTENTLY ADVANCING AND I CUTTING LENGTHS 0F WIRE AND 'THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 21, 1958 Filed Sept. 50, 1957 Q N N v Y q) v //V VE/V 7'0]? T ROBERT W. SWANBUM (deceased) GERDA J. SWA/VBUM, Execu/r/x & M

A ffarney Oct. 21, 1958 R. w. SWANBUM APPARATUS FOR INTERMITTENTLY ADVANCING AND CUTTING LENGTHS OF WIRE AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 30, 1957 /N VE/VTOR ROBERT W. SWANBUM (deceased) 'GERDA J. .SWANBUM, Execu/r/x Allorney APPARATUS FOR INTERMITTENTLY ADVANC- ING I131E131) CUTTING LENGTHS F WIRE AND Robert W. Swanbum, deceased, late'of Duluth, Minn., by Gerda J. Swanbum, executrix, Duluth, Minn.

Application September 30, 1957, Serial No. 687,031

1 Claim. (Cl. 164-49) The present invention relates to wire processing equipment and has for its primary object to provide improved apparatus for intermittently advancing and cutting lengths of wire or rod in, for example, a wire straightening and cutting machine.

The invention will be fully apparent from the following detailed disclosure and the appended claim when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevational view of a machine incorporating the apparatus of the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line I I- II of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line III-III ofFigure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings reference numeral 2 designates generally a wire straightening and cutting machine having wire advancing and cutting apparatus constructed according to the invention incorporated therein. The machine 2 includes a main frame 4 having a set of vertical and horizontal wire straightening rolls 6 and 8, respectively, mounted thereon adjacent one end. The straightening rolls are disposed astride the pathway of wire W which is to be processed through the machine.

A drive shaft 10 is journaled in the frame 4 below and normal to the exit end of the set of straightening rolls 8. A feed wheel 12 is fixedly mounted on the shaft 10 with its upper circumference disposed just below the pathway of the wire W.

Shaft 10 is driven by means of a belt pulley 14 which is afiixed to the end of the shaft. Pulley 14 is powered by and connected with a motor (not shown) or other suitable power means in the conventional manner.

A pinch wheel 16 is mounted for rotation in the frame 4 above and circumferentially adjacent the feed wheel 12. The feed wheel and the pinch wheel are spaced apartto provide a pass 18 for the wire W therebetween. Guide tubes 20 and 22 are mounted on the frame 4 in the pathway of the wire W adjacent the entry and exit ends, respectively, of the pass 18.

Feed wheel 12 is provided with a raised rim portion 24 which extends partially around its circumference, as best shown in Figure 1. Wheels 12 and 16 are spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the height of the raised rim 24 so as to create a pressure contact on the wire W in pass 18 between the pinch wheel 16 and rim portion 24 each time the rim portion passes adjacent the circumference of the pinch wheel 16 during rotation of the feed wheel 12. Thus, during rotation of feed wheel 12 the wire W is engaged and advanced pulling it through the straightening rolls and past a shear 26 mounted on frame 4 adjacent the exit end of guide tube 22 only when the rim portion 24 passes adjacent the pinch wheel and contacts the wire W. During that portion of the rotation of wheel 12 when the rim 24 is remote from the feed wheel the wire W is not advanced. Thus the wire is advanced intermittently. The guide tubes 20 and 22 support the wire W in position as it is advanced through pass 18 between wheels 12 and 16.

7 2,857,000 Patented Oct. 21, 1958.

2 The shear 26 includes a shear lever 28 which is fulcrumed to the frame 4 as at 30 below the guide tube 22,

and a shear guide 32 which extends downwardly in a vertical plane normal to the exit end 34 of guide tube 22. A movable shear blade 36 is slidably disposed in the shear guide 32 for movement toward and away from the end 34. The exit end 34 of the tube 22 is reinforced and shaped to provide a fixed blade with'which movable blade 36 cooperates to shear the wire W after it has been advanced by the rim 24 of wheel 12. The forward end of lever 28 projects through a slot 37 in the bottom of blade 36 so that pivotal movement of the lever in a vertical plane about its fulcrum point causes vertical movement of blade 36 in guide 32. Pivoting of lever 28 is achieved by means of a cam 38 which is rigidly aflixed to shaft 10. Cam 38 is adapted to engage a cam follower 40 on the lever 28 to pivot the lever during that part of the rotation of shaft 10 and wheel 12 when the rim 24 is not in wire-engaging position.

A helical tension spring 42 which is attached by one end to the bottom of shear 36 and by its other end to the frame 4 constantly urges blade '36 away from the end 34 of the tube 22 so that the blade 36 does not obstruct advancing movement of the wire W while it is engaged by rim 24. Lever 28 is constantly urged into inoperative position by means of a helical tension spring 44 which is attached by one end to the end of lever 28 remote from fulcrum point 30 and by its other end to a fixed shaft 45 disposed in frame 4 on which pinch wheel 16 is rotatably mounted.

A wire-receiving trough 46 is provided in the frame 4 below the pathway of wire W adjacent the exit end of guide tube 22 for receiving the lengths of wire W as they are cut off by the blade 36.

In operation, shaft 10 is driven to rotate feed wheel 12 and one straight and cut length of wire is produced with each revolution of the feed wheel as explained above. The linear dimension of each length of wire produced depends on the arc length of the raised rim portion 24 of feed wheel 12 since the wire W is advanced only while the raised rim portion is passing adjacent to wheel 16. When the portion of the circumference of wheel 12 which has no raised rim portion passes adjacent the pinch wheel 16 there is no contact with the wire W and the wire is not advanced. It is during this part of each revolution of the feed wheel 12 that the cam 38 trips the shear lever 28 and causes the advanced wire to be cut. The cut lengths of wire drop into the wirereceiv ing trough 46.

While one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claim.

What is claimed is:

In wire processing apparatus including a frame, a driven. shaft journaled in said frame, a feed wheel fixedly mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, a pinch wheel journaled in said frame circumferentially adjacent and spaced from said feed wheel, the space between adjacent circumferential portions of said wheels defining a pass having an entry end and an exit end for wire being processed, the improvement therewith of a raised rim portion on said feed wheel extending partially around the circumference thereof, the height of said raised rim portion being substantially equal to the distance between said adjacent circumferential portions of said wheels, said raised rim portion being adapted to engage and advance wire in said pass when said feed wheel is rotated, an entry guide tube adjacent the entry end of said pass, and an exit guide tube adjacent the exit end of said pass, reciprocating shear means disposed on said frame adjacent the exit end of said exit tube, said shear means including a fixed blade integral with the exit end of said exit guide tube, a movableb'lade slidably mounted on said frame 'for cooperation with said fixed blade, a lever bar fulcrumed to said frame and-havingoneend connected with said movable blade for moving the latter relative to said fixed blade, saidlever'extendingin -a=plane adj acentand normal to said shift, a cam rigidly mounte'dfon said shaft for rotation therewith, and acam follower on said lever adjacent the end thereof remote frornsaid movable blade engageab'le by said cam to pivot saidlever andactuate said shear means when said shaft is rotated, said cam being disposed relative to sai'd cam follower and said 4 feed wheel whereby said shear means is actuated only after said raised rim portion has engaged and advanced said wire.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 594,676 Chaflee Nov. 30, 1897 751,560 Robinson Feb. 9, 1904 939,279 Beasley Oct. 19, 1909 2,032,098 Roberts Feb. 25, 1936 2,490,980 Peterson Dec. 13, 1949 

